The ASI 294MC is the first camera with the latest Sony IMX294CJK sensor: the ideal astro camera for every conceivable application!
The "back-illuminated" Sony CMOS sensor ensures maximum sensitivity and therefore short exposure times. With just 30 seconds of exposure time and subsequent stacking, you'll be able to capture faint nebulae and galaxies with this camera - without any active cooling!
The main advantages of the camera at a glance:
- USB 3.0 for a fast download - can also be operated with USB 2.0
- Very sensitive CMOS sensor: quantum efficiency in the maximum over 75% (about 530nm)
- Good resolution due to relatively small pixels
- Supplied with AR clear glass filter, which means full passage also in the infrared. If the IR is to be blocked, an IR cut filter is needed.
- HCG mode - if Gain (pre-amplification) is higher than 120 (12 db), the readout noise will be reduced below 2e - Result: Despite extremely high sensitivity, you will obtain low-noise images.
- High full-well capacity: even bright stars do not burn anymore, they get a better signal-to-noise ratio.
- Big scope of delivery: adapters, cables and more
Application areas of the camera:
Lunar and planetary images: Extremely short exposure times due to high sensitivity freeze the air turbulence. Due to the high resolution of the sensor many details can be reproduced even with a shorter telescope focal length. Video astronomy is also possible.
DeepSky images (nebulae and galaxies): Due to the high sensitivity, nebulae and galaxies are imaged after only a few seconds. Although the camera is not cooled, low-noise high-resolution shots are possible. By raising the GAIN (Comparable to the ISO setting on Digital SLR Cameras), you can reduce the exposure time to less than 30 seconds. Effects due to air turbulence or inaccuracies of tracking are thus switched off.
Colour or mono? Black and white cameras have the advantage of higher sensitivity and resolution than colour cameras. However, more effort is required to obtain a colour image. You also need colour filters and a filter wheel
Our expert comment:
Astro-cameras with the IMX294 color sensor are perfectly suited for RGB-imaging of deep-sky-objects. However, the bayer matrix of this color sensor causes artifacts in the H-alpha wavelength. These are very hard to remove in post-processing. Hence, this camera isn't suited for photography with H-alpha narrowband filters (or respective multi-narrowband filters, like Triad, etc).
Elias Erdnüß
